And Again
by RedBandanna
Summary: Mangaverse. Conrad is called upon to perform a difficult task. How will the results affect Vash's fight against Knives?
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: I don't own Trigun etc etc.

This is an experimental fic that will be continued depending on how good reviews it gets, so please let me know what you think of it.

And Again

The room was cavernous and pulsing with blue light. Within the steel walls are huge light bulb like constructions and a mess of computer equipment and railing; connected to the closest bulb are tubes and wires that buzz with energy. Beneath it all, stood Knives.

The light made him look like an angel, obscuring all else in the room. He stared intently into the Plant bulb, maintaining his cool exterior despite the enormity of the situation.

Dr Conrad watched, sweat dribbling down his back. He sat in the dark, monitor reflecting onto his face, re-checking the bulb captured Plant's vital statistics. Words, numbers ran by on the screen; if he changed them, if he made this fail, would the situation be worse or better? He'd originally agreed to be of assistance so he could keep an eye on _him_, but this…. he'd not expected this.

Sensing Conrad's stare, Knives turned.

"Well?"

The doctor swallowed. "Energy levels appear to have reached the maximum. She's ready."

Knives turned backed to the bulb. "Then do it."

Dr Conrad took a deep breath and forced his fingers to move. His fingers left damp sweat marks on the keys as he typed in the command.

The light in the bulb seemed to explode, growing brighter. If he squinted, Conrad could make out Knives' silhouette; and above it, trapped in its globe, the Plant. Her face was calm and peaceful, abnormally long arms clutching something to her chest, tendrils of her flesh connecting it to her, keeping it alive. As a low hum echoed throughout the room, she opened her eyes and looked down at what was in her arms. Power flowed out through her into what she cradled.

The tendrils began to break, flesh split and peeled away into nothingness. The Plant screamed, and Conrad felt himself sliding off his chair, as though what was happening was shaking the entire ship, the Planet even. Like the Fifth Moon Incident, the out put of energy was huge.

As the two separated, he could make out the smaller of the two, floating free now, slowly falling backwards. The shape was humanoid; child-sized and slender.

Knives mover forward, raising his arms to the glass of the bulb, his eyes wide open .He appeared to be communicating with the Plant and it ceased the scream in response. The tiny figure, dwarfed completely by the Plant, drifted further down. Soon, it would touch the glass of the globe.

Another wave of power shook the room, and the light increased again. Almost blinded, Conrad bought his hands to his face. Now, he had no idea what was going to happen. But through his fingers he saw Knives and the Plant, both arms wide .The figure had reached the bottom of the globe. The glass shattered but made no sound, fragments flying, leaving a spectral outline where it had been. Before he could take no more and closed his eyes, he saw Knives catch the small body in his arms.

Knives frantically wrapped the body in a blanket that had been resting by his foot, wiping Plant fluid away from its nostrils and mouth. It coughed and made wheezing sounds, taking in gulps of air. He stared as he recognized the face from memory. It was her. The breath caught in his throat as her eyes opened, blue as the Ocean that he had learnt about on the ship. As her eyes focused on him she took fright and tried feebly to free herself from his grip.

"…just like you." Conrad heard Knives' voice, soft and gentle; completely different to the harsh cynical tone he used to communicate with humans. The figure in Knives' arms had stopped struggling and lay still. Knives stood, carrying his bundle, a smile on his sharp features.

As he moved past, Conrad felt a presence behind his eyes, as though something foreign was inside his mind, sifting through his memories. He caught sight of two small eyes watching him and then the feeling disappeared as Knives laughed, saying "Conrad won't hurt you. None of the humans here can. They are all under my control." His voice sounded as it had when they had first met on the SEEDS ship, when Knives was still a child.

The doctor stood transfixed as the autonomous Plant left the room, the sight of the eyes burning in his head.

"Tessla."


	2. Chapter 2

Authors Note: I don't own Trigun, or Trigun Maximum, etc.

This fic takes place after the Fifth Moon incident (mangaverse),when Knives is recooperating in his ship and Vash is hiding out with Lina and her Grandmother.

Knives stalked out into the hallway of his stronghold, his attention completely focused on Tessla, lying limp and confused in his arms. He could feel her mind stretching out, searching his thoughts, seeking out all the people on the ship. When she discovered the minds of the Gung Ho Guns, she recoiled a little in fear and grasped at his shirt.

From what he could tell from her mind, her recollection of her life on the SEEDS ship was vague and blurry. She was aware something awful had happened to her, but she wasn't quite sure what, hiding away the memories to protect herself. But the fear of humans had become instinct, and their presence on the ship worried her. She was also not entirely sure what to make of Knives himself, but felt a fragile trust towards him because he too was a Plant.

He pulled the blanket around her a little more, and smiled down at her. She was the one it had started with, the victim of the humans greed, the one whose suffering had made him see the truth. And now that he had her back, he was going to make sure she would not hurt ever again. He would take him with her to his Eden, along with Vash and his sisters in the globes.

Tessla tried to curl up further; she felt cold and strange. It was like she had been deeply asleep and woke to find she couldn't remember anything but coloured blurs and a sense of hopelessness and fear. And humans; she could feel their minds close by and panic began to rise inside. Their thoughts felt like saws, grating across her nerves; she could see memories, full of blood and malign intent, bodies lying scattered……she fought the urge to be sick. The Plant holding her clutched her tighter, sending thoughts to comfort and calm her, but she felt disorientated and wrong.

And then one of the humans was there, right behind her. Its thoughts washed over her and she started to choke, she could smell rotting flesh and feel the frightening satisfaction the individual enjoyed at the sight of painful death. She wanted to scream, but found no voice.

"How did it go, Master?" The scrape of Legato's coffin against the floor brought Knives back to the present. He sneered at the ugly bearer that carried his disabled servant around, and blocked Tessla from view.Humans; they were truly disgusting.

"That is none of your concern, Legato." Knives replied coolly.Tessla scrabbled against his chest and he saw the panic on her face, the gasping noises she was making in her throat. He tried to soothe her, but found it was Legato's presence alarming her.

"Get out of here!" He turned on Legato, a snarl twisting up his features. Not wishing to upset his beloved master, the blue haired man backed into the shadows.

"As you wish…."

Hurriedly, Knives moved deeper into the ship, towards his own quarters.Tessla began to calm down when the human mind became distant, but she didn't let go of Knives' suit, her fingers twisted in the material, making little sobbing sounds.

Conrad walked out of the Plant centre and past Legato without noticing him. His thoughts buzzed with things long forgotten – a baby girl, an operating table, the smell of formaldehyde and the sound of raised voices all drowned out the present. And in the back of his mind, the memory of a needle, filled with liquid, descending on a bloodied arm.

It was remarkable that the rebirth procedure had worked – he had underestimated the power of Plants, the amount of energy they could generate in one burst. It made him fear Knives more. His plan, his Eden, could really become a reality, the human race wiped out. Tessla's rebirth would surely make him more determined. Conrad began to doubt even more Vash's ability to defeat his brother.

He dug his hands in his pockets. Thinking of the imminent doom of all humanity was not going to help him slow Knives down. He had to concentrate on his part in this struggle, and stay positive. It was all he had left.

Vash awoke in a cold sweat, his heart pounding. He often dreamt about his time on the ship, and the day that he and Knives had discovered the abandoned medical bay. But this time, as he saw Tessla's body floating forlornly in the tube, he heard a whisper of a voice, a soft cry.

He sat up in his bed and rubbed his eyes. Lina and her grandmother were asleep in the other rooms, so he crept through the house and out onto the verandah. The wide expanse of stars glittered innocently over him, empty of any signs of trouble. But in his mind, Vash saw the Great Fall and his brothers face lit up by the light of thousands of ships plunging to the ground, killing all on board. How Knives had smiled back then….it had made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. And he had done it all, all for one little girl he had never met, or talked too.

If Tessla had lived, if she could see them now, what would she think of the havoc being wreaked her name?

In his ears, Vash heard the whisper again.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors Note: I don't own Trigun Maximum etc.

This chapter turned out a little longer than the others, and I'm afraid I started to ramble at the end. Hopefully it is still up to standard.

The piercing scream shook the ship, waking all those on board. The pitch was so high it threatened to burst eardrums; those who heard it were in physical pain.

Conrad jerked up right in his bed. He'd heard this sound before; from Plants who were going through their Last Run. It was an awful sound to hear, especially for the fifth night in a row. Tessla was having nightmares.

He got out of bed, stumbling in the dark. The scream was like a hook in his mind, dragging him towards her. But he knew going to try and calm her would be no good; he'd tried the first time it happened, only to be violently rebuked by Knives. Conrad only saw Tessla during the day, when she was brought to him to make sure her health was sound and none of the tumors were returning.

Initially, she had shied away from him and struggled when he tried to examine her. But when she looked him square in the eyes, fear changed to confusion. She stared at him in puzzlement, and Conrad worried that she was beginning to remember how it had ended all those years ago…..

He fumbled for the light switch, but the scream softened in pitch and then disappeared completely. In the ensuing silence he heard the various Gung Ho Guns cursing and moaning. Having to stay in such close proximity with such people bothered him, but he was glad to be relatively far from Knives. Being in the powerful Plants presence made him nervous; but he had changed somewhat over the past few days; all his energy was concentrated on Tessla.

Conrad slipped back into his bed and tried to slip back into sleep. It was his only refuge he had these days.

In his quarters, Knives sat holding Tessla's sobbing body to his chest. He stroked the little girl's hair and attempted to soothe her. In her mind, he could see blurry pictures of humans looming up in masks, bloodied scalpels at the ready; feel the snap of Tessla's thigh bone as it broke, smell the stench of a body dying from the inside out. Anger surged in his mind, separate from the part of himself that was comforting her, and soon all he could see were bodies strewn on the sand, feel the triumph of his victory and Tessla standing before him, smiling.

She shifted slightly in his grip and cried louder, tears soaking into his shirt and he was brought back to the present. Gently, he imposed the image of them standing together in a green field that stretched out forever into her mind. It seemed to calm her a little, and the sobs subsided gradually.

Knives smiled down at her. Although she had woken him from slumber these past five nights, he felt no exhaustion. Since the rebirth he had felt nothing but a bright, manic energy urging him onwards to his goal. Vash was hiding right now, but soon he would put the next stage of his plan into action, and surely his erstwhile brother would come to his senses. He just needed to be reminded of the horrors of human nature enough times.

Eventually,Tessla fell asleep, her breathing deep and even, and Knives dozed lightly until he felt a familiar mind enter his ship.Wolfwood was back, and from what he could tell, had still not tracked down his brother. Irritated at the human's incompetence, Knives stretched slightly and shook Tessla awake. She yawned sleepily and blinked up at him.

"I'm going to take you to Conrad now, ok?"He said softly." We've got to make sure you stay healthy."

Tessla took his hand and held onto it tightly, afraid to go out into the ship full of twisted human minds. They stared at her when she went past and their violent thoughts made her feel sick and dizzy. Knives snarled at them when they appeared and they backed into the shadows, out of sight, but she could still feel them all around her.

As they moved out into the corridor Tessla felt the new mind; it was just as full of violence as the others, but also full of regret. She remembered finding that feeling in someone else's mind a long time ago, and the image of a black haired woman rose out of the depths of her memory. Who was she? Tessla heard a soft voice and felt a hand wipe her forehead, saw a gentle smile. But the voice rose until it was yelling, mingling with others, protesting and now she saw a group of humans arguing in surgical garb. What was so important? The sight made her shiver unaccountably.

"Tessla?"Knives was looking down at her, concern in his eyes." What's matter?"

She realized she'd stopped walking. The memory faded and she was left was a feeling of apprehension and cold fear. Clutching his hand tighter, Tessla moved closer and grabbed his leg, trying to hide herself behind it.

Seeing the anxiety on her face, Knives bent down and picked her up; she seemed to feel safer when she was close to him. This fact made him proud somehow; his obsessive compassion for the reborn Plant grew as she rested her head on his shoulder.

They continued through the ship in this manner, through the empty halls and rooms, listening to the hum of the engines and the whispery voices of the Plants, always on the edge of hearing. But soon there were voices up ahead, and out of the shadows of the hall moved a man all in black, carrying a massive cross wrapped in cloth. He was talking to another Gung ho Gun; Midvalley the Hornfreak.

It was his mind Tessla had felt earlier. She lifted her head to look at him and saw the tired glare in his eyes as he stared at Knives, and the surprise and fear as he saw her. She could feel the hate radiating off him, the mounting anger towards her guardian. And in his mind, the pictures of little children, cowering in the shadow of a man; his arm raised against them, feathers sprout from his hand, crackling with power.

She raised her head, and displaying the curiosity of all children, tried to delve deeper into the man's mind. There was a bandaged boy, tubes going in and out of him, surrounded by medical machines, his one visible eye open wide and staring, whilst another man towered over him smiled eerily. People carrying all kinds of crosses, bodies lying at their feet.

And then a flash of a face that seemed familiar to her. She caught hold of a name; Vash the Stampede. He smiled with his mouth but not with his eyes; he was defending humans, laughing loudly in the face of men with guns, goofing around with children. But, then a ball of light, and the man was screaming; his arm grew long feathers, faces, bodies, building power into some sort of weapon. It went off, wiping everything from view, and when she could see again, all there was was dust, and the man was crying.

She withdrew, shocked.The power the man had displayed; the faces on his arm were those of Plants! And he had obliterated everything. Who exactly was he? What was he capable of? She realized numbly, that he looked very similar to Knives. She looked up at him. His eyes were focused on the man in black, narrow and spiteful. Confused, she opened her mouth, trying to remember how to speak.

"Who is Vash the Stampede?"

Special thanks to those who have reviewed. The comments you gave kept me going through this chapter


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